The Charm's Effect
by ArenLuxon
Summary: Freestyle retelling of the original visual novel.
1. Chapter 1

There is this legend at my school. When you take a picture of someone you like, and you set it as your wallpaper on your phone, and you make sure no one sees it for three weeks, you'll end up together with that person. They call it _the Charm's Effect_.

I first heard it from Taisuke. He tried it a million times, but it never worked.

"Of course it doesn't, baka."

The girl who just called him an idiot is Saionji Sekai. She sits next to me.

She has dark blue eyes and brown hair.

She wears the uniform of Sakakino Seiryou Gakuen: thigh high socks, a short skirt, a dull white blouse, a black blazer with gold buttons and a red ribbon. But she also wears a carefree smile.

Not right now though. She even looks angry.

"The _Charm's Effect_ doesn't work like that. You think you can get any girl you like just by taking a picture of them?"

That would be nice though.

"It just doesn't work," Taisuke says.

"You're using it wrong."

"So, how do you use it then?" I interject.

Saionji-san looks at me and smiles slightly. "In order for the Charm to take effect your feelings for the other person have to be pure and real." She turns back at Taisuke. "Any ecchi thoughts will render it useless."

 _Oh, that explains a lot._

He doesn't say that out loud though.

"So, when you truly love someone, the Charm will work?"

"Of course it will."

"Did it ever work for you?"

She turns slightly red. "Baka. You can't ask a girl something like that."

"Fine.

Do you know someone for whom it worked?"

"You can't ask that either."

"Is that a no?"

"Homeroom is about to begin."

I knew it. That Charm stuff is total crap. And the way she said it. _Pure and real_. I thought she was floating for a moment. Truly a girl who believes in fairytales.

"Hey, Makoto."

For reasons beyond my understanding she's using my first name without any honorifics.

"What?" I whisper back.

"Do you believe in the _Charm's Effect_?"

"Not really." I decide to be honest with her. Besides, it's quite obvious I don't.

"Will you do something for me?"

She looks straight at me.

Hey, we are at class you know?

Luckily, we're sitting at the window aisle of the last row.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Will you try out the Charm? Surely there must be someone you like. Just try it, and then…"

"Fine. I'll try it."

She's stunned momentarily by my quick response. "Thanks, Makoto."

She's right. There is someone I like.

Her name is Katsura Kotonoha. She's in class I-4.

I saw her on the train.

Of course, it's not really surprising we're taking the same train, but…

She just caught my attention.

I only know three things about her.

She likes reading (she's always reading a book on the train.)

She's in class I-4 (confirmed by Katou, a childhood friend of mine who's also in class I-4)

She has huge breasts.

Until now, I was perfectly happy staring at her from a distance. But since I sort of promised Saionji I would try out the Charm, I guess she's my only option.

After all, she said my feelings have to be real.

Now, I don't know much about love, but I like Katsura-san. That's all there is to it, right?

/

/

I sigh. Do I really want to do this?

I don't believe in this Charm for one minute, but there is this 'what if'. I like Katsura-san, but I'm happy keeping things the way they are.

"What are you looking at?"

"Hey, don't startle me like that."

Saioinji-san is sitting next to me. While I look, her face turns pale.

"I'm so sorry," she blurts out. "I didn't mean to, I just…"

Oh, right. No one is supposed to see this picture.

But, wait. I didn't set it as my background yet, so technically speaking this doesn't count as breaking the Charm.

Or does it? And if it does, can I just take another picture of Katsura-san and try again?

Somehow, I don't think it works that way.

"Don't worry about it."

"No, I ruined the Charm. I…

Wait. I've never seen you with Katsura-san." She narrows her eyes.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"So you never actually met her?"

"Not really," I admit.

"I see."

"What are you planning?"

"You'll see. Let's go get lunch."

"Are we allowed to go up on the roof?"

"Not really. But I'm the president of the Astronomy Club, so I have a key."

"I see. And how many members does this Astronomy Club have?"

"Two."

"I hope you're not including me in that."

"Of course I am." She turns around and gives me her carefree smile.

Then, she takes the last flight of stairs, pulls out a key and opens the door.

For some reason, there is a bench up here. A white bench, like you see in parks.

The both of us sit down on it and take out our lunches.

"So, what are you planning?" I ask once again.

"I'm gonna set you up with Katsura-san. I'm gonna provide the effect myself. The Sekai-effect."

"You can forget that."

"Well, I could also tell the others about that pretty picture you have on your phone."

"Don't."

"Maybe I will. Now behave yourself and let me…"

...

Somehow we ended up on the ground.

If I remember correctly, I grabbed her hand, she pushed me away, I pushed back, and now I'm on top of her.

"Don't tell anyone."

"I won't, I swear. Now get of me before anyone sees us like this."

Oh, right. It will be pretty bad if someone saw us like this.

I stand up and take a few steps back.

She also stands up and brushes the imaginary dirt from her skirt. "Well, then. Let's start with stage 1. I'll find out if she has a boyfriend."

"Does she?" I never considered that. She could have a boyfriend.

"That's what I'm going to find out, genius. The last stage will be setting her up as your girlfriend."

"What are you talking about?" This girl just keeps going on and on.

"I will help you actually get somewhere with her. Without me, your odds are beneath zero."

"I don't need your help."

"Then why did you try out the Charm?"

Check.

The next words take away any resistance I had left.

"It takes more than a photo and some wishful thinking to get a girl. Right now, it's looking pretty hopeless."

"I know that."

"Do you?"

"It's not like I want to go out with her or anything." Now I totally sound like a tsundere.

"There we go again. Come on, tsundere, let's get you a girlfriend."

"Just shut up."

She laughs and gives me a wink. "Just leave everything to Sekai-san."

"..."

"If you don't, I'll tell everyone."

"All right all right. I'll leave it to you, Saionji."

"Sekai."

"Huh?"

"Just call me Sekai. As in 'world'. A big name, don't you think? I really like it."

"Too big."

"What?"

"Yeah. Kinda cool. Sekai.

Sorry I yelled at you."

"It's fine, Makoto."

And so, our plan for me to get closer to Katsura-san…

Was set in motion.


	2. Chapter 2

"She doesn't have a boyfriend."

"Okay." We're on the roof, eating lunch together.

"But she did say there was someone she's interested in."

"Hm."

"Don't worry. It'll be fine."

"Yeah, sure."

…

This Sekai-effect sucks. I'm getting nowhere like this.

"We're having lunch tomorrow."

Sekai's casual remark rips away my cloudy thoughts.

"Good. Tell me how it went tomo-"

"What do you mean? You're coming with me."

"...

What?"

"I'm gonna introduce you. At which glacier-speed were you planning to go?

She said there is someone she likes. Have you seen those breasts? You should move before it's too late."

There's more than that in a girl.

Like uhm…

Well, I can't come up with anything for now, but there is certainly more.

The problem is, Katsura-san has more. She's cute, smart, caring…. and I haven't even met her yet.

"I'm not ready."

"What is there to be ready for? I'm asking you to meet her, it's not a big deal."

"Yes it is, it's huge. As huge as Katsura's-"

"Pervert."

"I didn't say anything."

Well, at least we're getting somewhere.

"We're going up on the roof. No one will see your awkwardness. Well, except for Katsura-san of course."

"That's what I'm worried about."

"You want a girlfriend or not?"

Good question.

Do I truly want a girlfriend?

Things weren't supposed to get out of hand like this.

"Saionji? Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"This. Setting me up with Katsura-san."

"...

Because I like watching romance blossom. Like in a movie."

"This is not a movie."

"Yes it is." She smiles. "And I'm the director."

"And what am I? The main character?"

"Yes. Tomorrow we're shooting the lunch scene, don't mess up."

"If I do, we can just do another take, right?"

"Not in my movie.

...

Now, we need to go. Class will start."

And there she goes again. I'm not getting a word in between.

But I guess that's how it goes. Some people are directors, and some are actors. And the actors just have to play their role.

And if it gets me a cute girl, maybe I don't mind playing in her movie for a while.

Let's see how this movie goes.

"Sekai?"

"Hm." She turns around on the stairs.

"You not a fan of tragedies, right?"

Her only reply is an enigmatic smile.


	3. Chapter 3

"Look, I'm really not ready."

"Stop whining and keep going."

Oh, what the hell.

I take the last stairs and open the door.

A girl is sitting on the bench.

Obviously, I've seen her lots of times on the train.

But this time, she stands up, makes a small bow and talks to me.

"Good afternoon. I'm Katsura Kotonoha. Please take care of me."

…

Sekai elbows me.

What?

Then Katsura-san slightly cocks her head to the right, looking confused (and super cute).

Oh, right.

"I'm Itou Makoto. Nice to meet you to."

A shy smile flashes for a moment.

We stare at each other for a moment.

But then Sekai give me a subtle push.

I sit down in the middle of the bench.

"Move a bit, there's no place left for me."

There's more than enough space left for…

Oh, wait.

I move a bit aside.

Now, our knees are touching.

Katsura-san blushes slightly.

Seems like she's not used to skinship.

Or am I that intimidating?

Damnit Sekai, don't be so pushy.

…

Akward silence.

"So, Katsura-san. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

"Huh?" She's startled. Like someone woke her up from a daydream.

"Uhm. Well. I like reading… I'm in class I-4"

And I have huge breasts.

As if she hears me, she covers her breasts, but because they are so big, they are being pushed up giving me a way to good view of her cleavage.

Not good.

Focus, Makoto.

"I also like anime and light novels."

Everyone likes anime and light novels, this is Japan.

But I'm guessing she's more of a fangirl, not a casual fan.

"Hm. What do you like?"

I'm asking that question by the way. I don't need the director to say all my lines.

"Well," she blushes. "Nothing in particular."

She's evading it. It must be something embarrassing.

"Come on. I won't laugh."

"You promise?"

She looks at me with a cuteness-overkill look.

"I promise." I say, looking straight into her dark blue eyes.

"All right then. Uhm, could you come closer?"

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"You promised you wouldn't laugh, but Saionji-san didn't. Also, you asked me, so I'm only telling you."

A weird girl.

Sekai doesn't protest. My personal director is desperately trying to hide a satisfied smile.

I lean in and Katsura-san whispers something in my ears.

"I like uhm… ecchi."

…

Eh?

…

You've got to be kidding me.

"You're an…" She shushes me.

I drop my voice and lean in.

"Ecchi fan?" I whisper in her ear.

Whether she turned red because of my question or because my lips accidentally brushed her ear, I'll probably never know.

Still, she turns a beautiful sunset red and nods.

Certainly a weird girl.

She watches ecchi but blushes when she gets close to an actual boy. That is very strange.

For your information. I'm an ecchi-fan too.

Don't judge me, I'm a boy. I'm allowed to be a pervert.

I'm gonna wear a shirt saying 'hentai and proud'.

…

There's something wrong with me. It must be Katsura-san's influence.

"Are you alright?" Katsura-san asks. She looks concerned. "I shouldn't have told you something so personal. I'm so sorry." She stands up and prepares to leave.

"No?" I grab her hand. "Please stay. It was just a little… unexpected."

Me taking her hand was also unexpected apparently, cause she doesn't move, like she's nailed to the ground.

"I'm sorry." I say, releasing her hand.

"It's fine." She says, but her tone is hollow. She really doesn't like being touched.

"I need to go." She says, still in a weird voice.

She stands up so fast her skirt takes on her momentum, raising it just enough for me to catch a glimpse of her panties.

White lace. Another strange contradiction.

Without saying another word, she practically runs away.

"Hey, Sekai," I say, my eyes fixed on the door that just closed.

"This went well, right?"

Her silence gives me all the answers I need.


	4. Chapter 4

A pleasant sound floats through my room. I put down my book and pick up my cellphone.

"Hello?"

"Makoto. Katsura-san just texted me. She said she really enjoyed meeting you."

Obviously, it's Sekai. As to how she got my number, I can't remember.

"That's good."

"She wants to eat lunch again tomorrow."

"You think I should ask her out?"

A weird sound. "Patience grasshopper."

"I thought I went to slow. Glacial, you said. And what was that noise?"

"... I dropped my phone.

Now listen. You can't go too fast. You only met her once. You should get to know her better before you ask her out."

"Hm. Maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

Hey, no need to get so defensive. What is wrong with you?

Anyway.

"Let's eat lunch again tomorrow."

And so the three of us ate lunch again the following day, and the day after that, and the day after that…

Things quickly fell into a routine. Every day the three of us would go up on the roof and eat lunch together.

Although students couldn't go up on the roof, in name, we were all part of the astronomy club so we were allowed. None of the teachers asked us any questions about it.

Over the following two weeks, I learned a lot about Katsura.

Her father was some kind of property developer in Sakakino Hills. Although she never explicitly said it, they were most likely very wealthy.

Her mother has a vague job which involved a chain of restaurants or something like that.

Both of them were very strict and almost never home, so Katsura took care of everything, including her little sister.

According to what I heard, her sister is cute and very annoying.

Katsura's social life is basically non existent.

Most of her time is spent reading, studying and watching anime.

In the past, she practiced piano, ballet, calligraphy and all kinds of other stuff, but when she entered Sakakino Gakuen, she quit all of it. I don't know why.

Although she is quiet, which often leads to awkward silences, I really like her.

Luckily, Sekai is always with us to break those silences.

And so… eventually.

"Sekai. I'm gonna ask her out tonight."

The both of us are sitting on the bench at the roof. Katsura just left, saying she still had to print out her physics report before lunch break ended.

"Are you sure?"

"Sekai. I'm certain. I want to make my intentions clear. You don't want me to ask her out?"

She stands up and turns away from me.

"To be honest, I don't."

I stand up to. "Why not?"

Her voice sounds choked. "Because if you do… this will end. I really enjoy lunch with the three of us. If you ask her out and she rejects you, we won't be able to pretend it didn't happen; When we eat lunch together, there will always be that tension."

"You think she'll reject me?"

She still doesn't look at me.

"Maybe. I don't know. But if she doesn't, this will end too. I'll just be the third wheel. If she becomes your girlfriend, I'll just leave the both of you alone."

"Sekai."

Without thinking, I wrap my arms around her and pull her close.

I'm hugging her from behind.

She spins around and buries her face in my chest.

"I promise the three of us will remain friends whatever happens. If Katsura becomes my girlfriend, the three of us will still eat lunch here together. I won't let that end."

She wraps her arms around me and hugs me tighter.

"Thank you, Makoto. That means a lot to me."

"Can I ask you a favor, Sekai?"

She releases me and looks up at me. There are small tears blinking in her eyes, but she's not crying.

"Could you ask Katsura if she likes me? I want to know if she will reject me if I ask her."

"And what will you do if she says she'll reject you?"

"I won't ask her. I don't want things to get awkward between us."

"I see. Well, I'll ask her then."

She takes out her cellphone and flips it open.

She makes sure I can't see her screen.

I should have known at that time.

There's only one reason why someone would hide his screen.


	5. Chapter 5

"Looking fine. She likes you." Sekai says those words, no emotion in her voice.

I guess she's still afraid I'll screw up.

"So I should take my chances?"

"Yeah, you should."

There is no time left. She barely said those words before the bell relieves us.

"Wish me luck."

I quickly go to class I-4.

Katsura is the last one to walk out.

"Makoto?" she looks (pleasantly?) surprised.

"Hey. Uhm. Can I ask you something?"

"Oh. Uhm. I'm sorry, but, I have a class rep meeting. The school festival is coming up."

"Oh. I'll wait for you then."

"It could become quite late."

"Doesn't matter, I'll wait for you." Why is everyone against me?

"My dad will expect me home straight away."

"Look. I just need to ask you one question."

She sighs. "Go ahead and ask me then. I do have a couple minutes before the meeting starts."

I take a deep breath.

"Will you go out with me?"

…

She blushes slightly and looks away.

"Well, that is… sudden."

"You don't like me?"

"I do." she says it really fast before blushing even more. "Look, it's okay. I'll go out with you. I'll call you tonight, kay?"

I frown. "You don't have my number."

"Actually," she blushes even more. "Saionji-san gave me your number a week ago."

"Oh, I see."

"I really need to go now."

And then she's gone.

/

/

"And so I asked her out," I conclude.

On the platform, I found Sekai waiting for me, eager to hear about my date attempt in full detail.

"Well done."

"I guess I owe you one. You helped me out so much, I couldn't have done this without you."

"I didn't really do anything," she avoids.

"Yes you did. I'm in your debt."

"Oh, come on. It was no big deal."

"I want to thank you. You can ask me for anything."

"Well maybe I will ask you for something in return then."

A computer voice announces the next train is coming. This is the one Sekai is supposed to take.

"Look, no need to decide now, you can-"

The rest of my words are lost in the sudden kiss.

She releases me after a short while.

"That'll do just fine," she whispers.

The doors open behind her and she enters the train.

Before I can do anything, the doors close, separating us.

"Good luck with your date," she yells, way too happy.

I just stand there, stunned.

In the train, Saionji Sekai pulls out her phone and presses some buttons.

 _Would you like to delete your wallpaper?_

There are no tears when she presses _yes_.

That kiss was goodbye.

Goodbye to a life that could never exist.


	6. Chapter 6

"Good morning," Sekai says, as if nothing happened last night.

"Hey." What am I supposed to say?

She sits down and we fall quit for a moment.

"You wanna eat lunch together with the three of us?" I ask.

"You know, now that you and Katsura are going out. I feel like you should eat lunch together with your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? I asked her out, I didn't ask her to marry me. Besides, I promised you we could still be friends, and I plan to keep that promise. Despite your efforts to make things complicated."

"What do you mean by that?" she says, as if I just insulted her.

"You know what I'm talking about."

She sighs. "Look. That kiss meant nothing. I was just teasing you a little."

I can tell her smile is fake. It's a little sad.

"Sekai. If you like me, you can just tell me. There's no need to play games. I know I asked Kotonoha out, but if you have feelings for me I will do my best to take those into consideration."

"Well, you don't have to. I like you, but as a friend, nothing more."

"Fine. So we're having lunch together."

"Wait, I just said-"

"I thought we were friends?"

"Yeah but… oh fine. Have it your way then."

This probably marks the first time I'm the director.

/

/

"Hey, Katsura."

As usual, she is waiting for us.

"Hey." there is a bit of confusion in her smile.

Are we supposed to do anything different now?

But Sekai is here, who, as usual, breaks the awkward silence.

"I'm starving, let's eat."

The three of us sit down and take out our lunch boxes.

A short silence falls.

"Makoto."

"What's wrong Sekai? You sound so serious."

"I want to tell you something."

She sounds like she wants to confess.

That would be very awkward.

Kotonoha looks like she's thinking the same.

"Do you know how the Charm's Effect works?"

…

That was unexpected.

"You take a picture of someone you like, and if no one sees it for three weeks, you'll end up together."

Sekai smiles. "And how is that supposed to work? Magic?"

"That's why I never believed in it." What is she trying to say?

"Look. It only works with 'real love'. That just means it has to be mutual."

I frown. "If it's mutual, you wouldn't need some magic Charm."

"Most people don't have the courage to confess."

"And how is that Charm supposed to help then," the sarcasm drips from my tone. "If no one is supposed to see it for…"

…

No way.

Of course.

Sekai's next words confirmed what I just discovered.

"Three weeks. That sounds a bit hard. People easily catch a glimpse of your background. It almost sounds like… it's not supposed to work."

Kotonoha interrupts us. "I don't get it."

"People are supposed to see it," I explain. "That way, you have to tell your crush, before she hears it from someone else."

"Exactly."

"Okay Sekai. I'll admit it, it works. Happy now?"

"Oh, I didn't tell all this for that. I just need to confirm something...

Kotonoha."

For some reason Kotonoha turns bright red.

"You mind if I look at your wallpaper?"

Showing no emotion, Katsura hands her phone to Sekai.

Sekai flips it open and checks the background.

Not showing any emotion, she hands it back.

Then Saionji Sekai stands up.

"Good luck on your date. See you in class, Makoto."

And with those words, she leaves.

A small part of me wants to go after here.

She stood up so fast her skirt was lifted up for a moment and I could see her underwear.

Unlike Katsura, she wears no lace. Just plain white underwear.

Somehow, that detail makes it even more sad.

Unlike Katsura, who seemed perfectly fine before she met me, Sekai looks like she could really use a boyfriend. Or a normal friend for that matter.

"You can still be friends."

Kotonoha startles me with those words.

"Yeah, sure." I take my eyes of the closed door.

Before I even spoke them, I already started doubting those words.


	7. Chapter 7

I check my watch for the forty-seventh time.

For the record, she's not late.

I'm early.

Like, really early.

Sekai acted weird all week.

She refused to take lunch with us, and she barely talked to me.

And when she did talk, it felt like she would cry.

I don't get it.

She said she has no feelings for me. That she only likes me as a friend.

And even if she didn't, I can go out with whoever I want.

I never said I liked her or anything like that. We're just friends.

Still, this feels weird. No one can blame me for choosing Kotonoha over Sekai.

Yet, it feels wrong.

I sigh.

You know what; I'll go to her after this. Tomorrow morning I'll go to her house and see if she's fine. It's a sunday, she has nothing to do anyway.

In case you wonder, I know where she lives. I know that sounds creepy, but there is a perfectly reasonable explanation why I possess this information.

Incidentally, I can't come up with that reason right now, but there sure is one.

Luckily, Kotonoha saves me from my derailing train of thought by arriving at that moment.

I've never seen her out of her uniform, and now that I do, I must say, she's a lot more elegant than I thought.

She's wearing a dress with a blouse over it. For obvious reasons, the top buttons are left undone.

"How are you, Makoto-kun?"

"I'm fine."

"You didn't wait too long for me, did you?" She checks her watch.

"No, of course not."

/

/

The movie we're seeing is called _Silmaril_ or something like that.

According to Katsura it's based on an English 19th century novel.

The problem is, this is one of those fantasy movies normal people can't watch. Every action has some explaining in another book, movie or legend in that world.

In other words, I have no clue what's going on.

I did ask Katsura a question about five minutes in, but her extensive answer left me more confused.

Since I can't follow the movie, I might as well do something else.

I lean back in the seat and move my eyes to the right.

She is quite beautiful.

But the way she's watching the movie worries me a little.

Unlike most people, who only watch casually and get what's going on _more or less_ , she's one of those rare people who actually _watches_ a movie.

She focuses on the story, trying to absorb every detail.

Katsura is someone who's obsessive about things.

I on the other hand, don't really care what this movie is about. I'm here with Katsura, the movie is just a reason to be together with her.

Her hand attracts my attention. It's lying on the armrest.

That in itself isn't strange of course, but it's just enough to my side to be suspicious. As if she wants me to hold her hand.

Should I?

Oh, what could go wrong?

I casually put my hand on hers.

Her reaction is… unexpected.

She quickly retracts her hand, as if something burned her.

Then she looks at me.

"I'm sorry. I was… surprised."

"It's fine."

She doesn't put her hand back though.

Strange.

This is supposed to be a date.

/

/

Somehow, we make it through the rest of the movie.

I drifted off for half an hour I think, but I don't think Katsura noticed.

"That was fun, right?" she says, sipping her drink.

"Yeah sure. A very interesting movie."

"Yeah."

…

Silence.

If only Sekai was here, then this awkward silence would be broken immediately.

At that moment, my phone vibrates.

I got a message from Sekai.

 _How is your date going?_

Hm. Good timing.

 _Not good. She didn't even let me hold her hand during the movie. What am I doing wrong?_

…

 _Maybe she's not ready for that yet. Be patient. Also, don't text with another girl if your date is still ongoing._

Wait a minute.

 _I never told you it wasn't finished yet._

It was one of those three hour movies. Sekai knew the starting hour, but she didn't know we were going to watch this one. And her timing was a bit… too perfect.

Is she spying on me?

"Who are you texting?" Kotonoha asks.

"Just Sekai. She asked how our date went."

"And what did you say?"

"Hm. I think we should decide that together. What did you think?"

"... Well. For a first date, it wasn't bad."

Is this really how first dates are supposed to go?

"You know. In science you can't draw conclusions from a single experiment."

"Indeed. But I suggest we optimize the setup of the experiment. I saw you fall asleep during the movie."

"Fair point. What do you suggest?"

There is a short pause before she replies. "My dad gave me some tickets for Aqua Square. Next week, we could go for a swim if you're up to it."

And so we planned our second date.

But, as usual, things don't go as planned.


	8. Chapter 8

I take a deep breath.

Let's just do this.

My hand presses the doorbell.

What do I do if her mom opens the door?

I should have asked myself that question a lot earlier now that I think about it.

Luckily, it's Sekai who opens.

"Makoto? What are you doing here?"

"You asked me how my date went. It's easier to tell you face to face."

"But how did you know where I live?"

"How did you know my date was over?"

"..."

"..."

"Come in. I'll make you some tea."

I've never seen Sekai out of her school uniform.

Kotonoha looked good in her dress. But she picked it out for a first date.

Sekai had no idea I was coming, so she is wearing her usual, natural clothes.

In her case, casual jeans and a salmon blouse.

It really suits her.

"Here you go." She hands me a mug of tea.

"Thanks."

"So. How did it go?" Sekai seats herself next to me on the couch.

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?"

"Look. The movie was really boring, so I tried holding her hand and she...pulled back."

"Maybe she's not ready for that yet."

"Oh, come on. Look."

I take her hand.

"This is not a big deal, right?"

Is she blushing? I'm just illustrating my point, don't get the wrong idea.

"No. Of course not," she says, a little too quick. "You're just holding my hand."

"Right. But Katsura reacted like I was harassing her or something."

Silence.

Somehow, I'm still holding her hand.

Should I let go?

But this doesn't feel wrong.

This is probably the first time I'm holding hands with a girl.

Is it?

Maybe I held hands with Otome in the past.

But that was a long time ago. Things like that don't count.

"Sekai?"

"Yeah?"

"We're not supposed to do this. I'm dating Kotonoha."

"If you think this is wrong, why don't you stop then?"

"I don't know."

I quickly release her hand and move a bit to the side.

"Anyway, we're going on another date next week."

"Oh, where are you going?" she says, as if nothing happened.

"Aqua Square."

"Oh. You sure that's a good idea?"

"Why not?"

"She doesn't want you to hold her hand. And now you're going to the pool."

Oh right. Pool=bikinis.

Would she be alright with that?

"I'm sure she's fine with me seeing her in a bikini."

"Are you sure?"

The way she smiles makes me think Sekai knows more.

"She texted me last night," Sekai explains. "She wasn't planning to invite you, but she thought the date went bad, so she quickly asked you on a second date."

"You mean… she was afraid I wouldn't ask her out again, so she asked me immediately?"

"Yeah. She doesn't even have a swimsuit. She asked me to go shopping with her this afternoon."

I sigh. "You know. Dating Katsura is a bit… tiring."

"How do you mean?"

"I call her by her last name. We never kissed and we didn't even hold hands.

Who am I truly dating, Sekai?"


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey, Makoto."

This time, it's not a cute girl.

"Hey, Taisuke."

"You know a lot of girls, right?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"You're very popular. Look, I don't care if you're still in denial. I have four tickets for Aqua Square and I need you to invite two cute girls."

"Aqua Square? How did you get those?"

"My sister. They're for this weekend though."

You've got to be kidding me. What am I supposed to do now?

"I wouldn't mind coming along."

We both turn.

"Saionji-san." Taisuke looks surprised it went so easy.

What is Sekai doing?

"Or don't you think I'm cute enough?"

"No," Taisuke says quickly. "You're very cute."

"Good. I'm sure Hikari will want to come too. Hold on, I'll ask her."

Now I see what's she's doing.

Hikari likes Taisuke, for reasons beyond my understanding.

Sekai probably plans to couple them.

Taisuke won't have time to look at Kotonoha and we can enjoy our date.

Given the circumstances, this is probably the best way out.

Damn you, Taisuke. You and your terrible timing.

/

/

"Thanks, Sekai. I owe you one."

"You sure do. Again."

"You're not going to kiss me again, right?"

"Don't get your hopes up."

"Sure."

"I'll keep Taisuke distracted, so you just enjoy your date."

"I'll try."

/

/

All too soon, it's Saturday.

"The girls are taking their time," I say. Both Taisuke and I are ready.

"Yeah. I can't wait to see them in their cute bikini's."

If I ever see a shirt saying'Hentai and Proud', I'm sure it will be Taisuke wearing it proudly.

But, to be honest, I'm a little bit curious too.

An idea sparks in my head.

"Hey, let's make a bet."

"About what?"

"What do you think? We're gonna guess the color of their swimsuits."

Taisuke shows a weird smile. "Sounds fun. What are we playing for?"

"If you guess correctly, you can hang out with that girl, and the other can't bother you."

"Sounds fun. You go first."

This is too easy. "Okay. Let's see. I think Sekai wears a pink one, Katsura blue and Kuroda-san uhm, black."

Sekai send me a picture of both her and Katsura's swimsuits when they went shopping, so the first two are definitely correct. Now I can only hope Taisuke guesses Kuroda correctly. But even if he doesn't, I already win.

"My turn. Saionji-san: black, Kotonoha-san: white and Kuroda: orange."

"Hey guys." The girls join us.

By some strange coincidence, Taisuke is right on the third one.

"How are you, Sawanaga-kun?" Kuroda is blushing slightly.

I almost forgot how ridiculous Taisuke's last name is.

"I'm good. You look beautiful in that orange swimsuit, Kuroda."

He's right actually. Kuroda doesn't look bad out of her uniform either.

"Oh, please. Just call me Hikari."

"All right then, Hikari. You can call me Taisuke then."

"Okay, Taisuke."

Just like that, they got on given name basis. Why did that look so easy?

I look at Katsura. How would she react if…

Only one way to find out.

"Kotonoha?"

She is taken back for a short moment, but then she recovers. "Yeah?"

"I've heard they have a huge water slide here. Wanna go?"

"Sure, I love water slides."

Whether it's the water slide or me calling her by her first name, there is a little smile playing around her lips.

"Let's go then."

I take her hand and guide her to the…

"Is there something wrong?"

The smile is gone.

"I'm sorry, I… It's nothing."

It must be me holding her hand.

I quickly release her.

She tries to hide it, but the relief is obvious.

/

/

As usual, Katsura is very passionate.

"Look, I'm really tired. We tried all the water slides." And this pool has quite a lot of them.

"Yeah, but that second one was fun, right? Let's do that one again."

"I need some rest."

Luckily, Taisuke and his future girlfriend come save me.

"Look. Why don't you go with Taisuke and Hikari. I'll rest for a bit and then I'll join you."

"Okay then."

She seems a little disappointed. Oh well, don't be that demanding.

I'll go to the sunbeds.

A winding staircase connects it to the pool, but the staircase doesn't lead anywhere else.

When you're at the edge, you have a clear view of the entire pool.

I only detect one person.

A hot girl wearing a pink bikini…

Hold on.

"Sekai?"

The girl looks up.

"Hey, Makoto. Tired too?"

"Yeah, little bit."

Why didn't I recognise her sooner?

Strange.

Very strange.

I sit down on the bed next to her.

"How are you?" she asks.

"Tired."

"Yeah. She sure is energetic, isn't she?"

"Yeah. But I'm tired in another way too."

"How so? You did say she was...tiring, the other day."

"Yeah." Now I know why I didn't recognize Sekai immediately.

I was lost in thoughts.

I wasn't that tired. I could have gone on that water slide.

But… I was tired in another way.

Tired of Katsura.

"We're not getting anywhere. Everytime I touch her, she goes tense."

"Look, Makoto. I already told you. She isn't ready yet."

Did I just speak my thoughts out loud? "No. That's not it."

"Yes, it is. Everything will be fine."

"Sekai. It won't be. Look. I like Katsura. I really do. She's cute, smart, passionate and all that. But we have a platonic relationship. She doesn't try; I can tell. She doesn't want our relationship to get physical.

If our relationship becomes physical, it will be because she is trying to make me happy. She'll just give in to the pressure to have a normal relationship."

"If what you say is true, which I doubt. Then the two of you are doomed. Inevitably, you will get feelings for her, both physical and emotional. If she can't answer to one of those without forcing herself, you'll get frustrated.

But, Makoto. What if she's hiding her physical feelings for you because she's afraid?"

"There is nothing to be afraid of. It's perfectly natural."

"Maybe you should talk with her about this."

"Talking with her always feels so...awkward. If only you were there with me."

"She's your girlfriend, not mine."

"But, as her friend, shouldn't you try to help her?"

"I've done enough. I won't mess with your love life anymore."

"Then as your friend, I'm asking you to help me."

"Are we just friends, Makoto?"

"Don't ask me questions I don't know the answer to."

What the hell am I doing.

Somehow, we ended up really close together during our conversation. Our heads are close. Too close. I can feel her breath on my skin.

She tilts her head slightly to the left and closes her eyes.

I'm leaning in and…

No.

This is wrong.

"I'm sorry."

Did we kiss?

Our lips touched so briefly I'm not even sure it actually happened.

But I do know something else.

"I need to talk to Katsura. Right now."

"I understand."

"You're coming with me.

I'm gonna tell her everything."

"Are you crazy?"

Excellent question.

Things were much easier when Katsura was just a distant dream. A star I could never reach.

But I made her fall down.

And here's the thing about falling stars.

They are beautiful, but once they hit earth, you realize, they are just rocks.


	10. Chapter 10

"Makoto, stop. You're being stupid."

I stop and turn to face her. "This is wrong. I need to be honest with her."

"Listen to me for a moment."

"Fine." I sit back down on the sunbed.

"Look. It's obvious that you have feelings for both of us. You asked Katsura out and now you realize that's it's not going as smoothly as you hoped.

But what you're doing right now is not wrong. You don't have any obligation to either of us. You went on _one_ date, that doesn't make you her boyfriend."

"But I have to be honest with her."

"Yes. But maybe you should be a little more tactful. Tell her you're not certain about your feelings for her. You should also tell her that you have feelings for me. For now, there's no reason why you can't date both of us. And if things are going well with one of us, you tell the other you want to remain friends."

"If Katsura is okay with that. But you're right. It wouldn't be fair to you if I only dated Katsura. I have feelings for you too, I just realized this later."

Is it really okay to date two girls at the same time?

If they are okay with it, I guess it's fine.

Let's just hope I can stay friends with both of them, no matter what happens.

/

/

"Quite a view," Katsura says.

"Yeah."

"Why would they put this so high up? There's no one here."

"I don't know. Hey, Katsura, can we talk?"

"Sure, _Makoto_." She sits down on one of the sunbeds.

I sit down on the bed next to it.

"Kats-...Kotonoha. I...I should be honest with you."

"Is this about Saionji?" she asks.

She's really sharp. "Yes."

"Look. I understand. Things aren't going that easy. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't give her the chance. You can date both of us if you want to."

Why is this going so easy?

"Can I ask you something?" I ask.

"Sure."

"Did you do the Charm?" This has been bugging me ever since Sekai looked at her phone.

Kotonoha stands up and leans over.

What is she…

She places a soft kiss on my cheek and then whispers a single word.

"No."

/

/

Maybe Kotonoha needs some time to open up.

I certainly need some time to sort out my feelings.

"Makoto? Are you spacing out?" Taisuke asks.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking about something."

"Me too. Where are Saionji-san and Katsura-san?"

"I don't know. They've gone up in smoke."

Taisuke shrugs.

"They'll show up," Kuroda interjects. "Maybe they're talking about girl stuff."

I have a feeling this _girl stuff_ involves boys.

"Let's go to that huge water slide," Taisuke suggests.

He takes Kuroda's hand and they start walking.

"Guys," I say. "The big one is on the other side."

"Oh." Kuroda turns slightly red. "I knew that."

Sure you did.

I feel a slight stab of jealously.

They are so carefree. Taisuke just took her hand as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Hey Makoto."

Sekai's voice pulls me out of my spiraling train of thought.

"There you are."

Kotonoha is standing next to her.

"I wanna ask you a question," Sekai says.

"Go ahead." I have a bad feeling about this.

"Will you go out with me?"


	11. Chapter 11

_Sunday_.

I flip open my phone and go through my contacts.

I'm not sure who I'm gonna call.

Kotonoha or Sekai?

Obviously, Kotonoha comes up first.

I'll call her first and then we'll see.

…

…

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kotonoha. How are you?"

"I'm fine… you?"

"I'm okay… Listen, did you talk with Sekai?"

"Yeah."

"And you knew she was gonna ask me out?"

"I did. In fact, I suggested it. We've decided we'll each go on three dates with you. I already had one, so now it's her turn."

"And I have no say in this?"

"You have a different suggestion?"

"Uhm."

"Look. You have over a month. And then we expect you'll continue dating one of us or neither."

"But we'll all stay friends, no matter what?"

"Of course."

Three dates.

Aren't you supposed to have se…

No. I heard that wrong.

Although Taisuke did say-

"Makoto?"

"Oh, sorry. I was spacing out for a moment."

"Are you fine with that?"

"Yeah, it seems okay to me."

"Okay. Look, I have to hang up, mom is calling me."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Sigh.

That felt very... _formal_.

She's taking this so well.

Well, she didn't like me of course. She just said yes because she was curious.

I was the one that did the cellphone charm.

I continue scrolling through my contacts until I find Sekai.

…

"Hey, Makoto."

"How are you Sekai?"

"I'm good." I can almost feel her smile.

"Look, I just realised...I never answered you."

"Oh. I guess that's right."

"So, I'm a bit late, but...yes, I will go out with you. Are you free this weekend?"

"Yeah. Where do you want to go?"

"We could go to Sakakino Hills."

"Sounds fun."

Talking with Sekai is so much easier.

/

/

There is something about her.

What is it?

I don't have much time left to think, she's almost here.

"Hey, Makoto."

When she speaks the words, I realize it.

She's wearing the same jeans and blouse she wore that day.

Even though this is a date, she's wearing perfectly normal clothes. She didn't dress up or anything. She's just... _herself_.

"Hey, Sekai."

"Let's go."

We start walking the streets of Sakakino Hills.

Almost naturally, Sekai takes my hand.

Why is everything so easy with her?

/

/

Somehow, we ended up at the cinema.

Last I remember we were at the aquarium, and now we're here.

Everything just goes, _smoothly_ with Sekai.

I sigh slightly. Maybe, I should just stay with Sekai. I shouldn't make things too complicated. Kotonoha was just a dream. I imagined her the way I wanted too.

"Sekai, I-"

"Great movie, huh?"

...

She knew what I was going to say?

Well, it's not like I can say it now.

"Yeah, sure, great movie."

Maybe I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that. We only went on-

"Makoto?"

"Huh?" Apparently the movie has ended.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts I didn't realize it. When she said _great movie_ , the movie had just ended.

We leave the cinema.

/

/

"Well, I had fun," Sekai says.

"Yeah, me too."

I hear the sound of the train.

Sekai places a soft kiss on my lips and gets on the train.

"See you at school," she says. The doors close.

I don't reply.

That small kiss took me back. To a different kiss, on a different platform, at a different time.

When Sekai was just a friend.

Why did you kiss me back then, Sekai?

She didn't answer the question I never asked.


	12. Chapter 12

Here's the problem.

I like Sekai, as a friend. I can't see her as anything more than that.

And I like Kotonoha, as a girlfriend. Even though it's obvious that it might not work out, I can't be just friends with her.

Maybe I see Kotonoha as a girl, and Sekai as a person.

"Makoto? Are you spacing out again?"

"Huh? No, of course not. Let's get lunch."

/

/

"Kotonoha isn't coming today," Sekai says on the last flight of stairs.

"Working for the festival?"

"Yeah."

The festival is in a couple weeks. She must be very busy.

"But she did ask me to give you a message," Sekai adds.

"Oh?"

"If you're free on Friday, she wants to go on a date. She says she has a surprise for you."

"And do you know what that surprise is?"

"No. But I think she'll take you somewhere special. She asked to meet you right here, on the roof."

"Here?"

"Don't ask, I don't know either."

Kotonoha is a strange girl. A very strange girl.

/

/

/

"You know, this is a weird place for a date." Contrary to my suspicions, we're actually having a date on the roof of the school.

"We are the astronomy club, right?" Kotonoha says.

"In name. That's why we can eat on the roof."

"Yeah, but just for once, I think it would be fun if we were an actual astronomy club."

The both of us are sitting on a thick picnic blanket.

Another blanket is draped across our shoulders.

We are really close together. I can feel the heat radiating of her body.

"How much do you know about astronomy?" Kotonoha asks.

"Nothing."

"Well, you're in for a surprise then. Keep watching, it should start soon."

Are we waiting for something?

I patiently wait for about ten minutes.

Then, it happens.

A falling star.

It is soon followed by another one.

"The Draconic meteor shower," Kotonoha whispers.

She's really close. Her lips almost touched my ear.

"It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is. We're lucky it's so spectacular this year."

"I wasn't just talking about the meteors."

We make eye contact for a moment.

Then, she blushes and looks away.

I look back at the meteor shower.

Slowly, Kotonoha takes my hand.

She leans in and places a soft kiss on my cheek.

Instead of going back, she lingers, her lips softly brushing my cheek.

I turn, and our lips lock.

She yelps, surprised, but doesn't pull back.

Hesitantly, she deepens the kiss.

Very slowly, her other hand wraps around me.

She goes down and pulls me with her.

Before I know it, she's lying on her back.

We're still making out.

I break of the kiss and lie next to her.

Now we are both lying on our backs, watching the stars, still holding hands.

We're silent for a moment, but then Kotonoha speaks.

"That was my first kiss."

"Oh."

It wasn't my first kiss. Should I lie and tell her it was? Maybe she feels-

"It's okay. I know it wasn't your first one."

Look at that. I kissed Katsura Kotonoha. Who would have thought?

Maybe I was wrong about meteors.

"Makoto?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."


	13. Chapter 13

"She did what?"

"Shhh" I shushed Sekai.

The teacher looked at us with killer intent for a moment before resuming his lesson.

"Look, I don't understand either. She just said that out of the blue."

I'm starting to doubt this 'we can just remain friends' will work out.

"You should be honest with her. With both of us."

"You want me to be honest? I like her, I really do. And I won't stop dating her. She just doesn't have much experience."

"That's an understatement."

"But it will work out. I want to make it work out."

"Then I guess we should stop dating."

"We better do. You're a good friend, Sekai. I don't want to make things complicated. Staying friends is the best we can do. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"No it isn't, you look like you're about to cry." I stand up. "Sensei."

"What are you doing?" she hisses.

"What now, Makoto?" the teacher seems annoyed.

"Can I take Sekai to the infirmary? She feels unwell."

The teacher frowns. "She certainly looks sick. Go ahead, you weren't paying any attention anyway."

/

/

"Why are you doing all this? You just dumped me."

"Cause you're a friend. I would do the same thing for Taisuke or someone else. This is who I am, do not get the wrong idea."

I can tell she feels special. I make her feel that way.

I'm not doing it on purpose, this is just the way it goes.

She averts her gaze.

Unfortunately, there's nothing else to look at.

The nurse obviously didn't find anything, so she told Sekai to rest until she feels better.

"Makoto?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you hold my hand until I fall asleep?"

I shrug. Why not.

I take her hand.

It's cold, as if she's really sick.

The bell goes, signaling the end of the lesson.

"You should go to the next class," Sekai says.

"Actually, we have lunch break now."

"Oh." she's taken back for a moment. "Don't keep her waiting then."

"Will you be alright?"

"I'm fine," she replies, turning around.

"Fine then."

/

/

"Hey."

"Hey."

We both look away.

"Koto-"

"Mako-"

A small smile appears. We both tried to say something at the same time.

"You first," I say.

"I'm sorry about… you know. You must have been shocked."

"Little bit," I admit. "Where did that suddenly come from?"

"I… was lost in the moment."

Wait. This might explain why she's so afraid of physical contact.

"It won't happen again," she assures me.

You mean you won't kiss me again?

 _Sigh_

One step forward...

Two steps back.


	14. Chapter 14

"Any plans for the festival?" Sekai asks. We're eating lunch on the roof together. Kotonoha is working for said festival now.

"Not really." I didn't forget about it, I was just busy with other things.

"You won't go see it with Kotonoha?"

"I have to help out our class. Besides, things have been a bit awkward lately."

"I see."

 _A bit awkward_ is kind of an understatement. I don't even know how to act anymore. It's like she's pushing me back and then pulling me closer.

To be honest, I think she's afraid. She wasn't ready to kiss me that moment and she certainly wasn't ready to say the three little words. But she did it anyway, because she was afraid she would lose me otherwise.

But it's not supposed to go like that. Things like that should just happen naturally.

I don't tell Sekai any of this, nor Kotonoha for that matter.

Not that I had an opportunity.

Kotonoha is super busy for the festival. We've barely seen each other since that last date.

I think she wants to see the festival with me, but…

"Makoto? Are you spacing out again?"

"Huh. No, of course not."

"What did I just say then?"

"Uhm." She got me there. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about the festival and… _girls_."

"Me too. And I think I've got a solution for you. How about the three of us go to see the festival together?"

That doesn't sound too bad. This always worked in the past.

When Sekai was with us, things went so smooth.

"All right. I'll ask Kotonoha about it."

"Don't worry, I just texted her."

"What. When?"

"While you were spacing out."

"I didn't even agree to it yet."

"I wasn't asking you."

"That's your problem," my voice is getting louder. "You never ask, you just do whatever you want. Just like when…" I don't speak the next words.

"Go on," she says, her voice icy cool. "Say it."

"When you kissed me."

"So it's about that huh?"

"Obviously."

Is she...crying?

"Sekai?"

"Leave me alone." She tries to leave, but I grab her hand.

"I just said what's on my mind, now it's your turn. There's something with you. It's not about what I just said. There is something else you're not telling me."

"You promised me," she whispers. "We would be friends no matter what. The three of us. But it's been weeks since we did something together."

"We went to the pool," I try, but I know I'm doomed.

"That was supposed to be a date. We're more than potential lovers, Makoto. I'm not just a girl. I'm your friend. And Kotonoha is my friend."

"I… I don't want any of you to be jealous."

"I'll always be jealous. Unless you plan to stop seeing her, I will be jealous. And she will be jealous of me. But we're all friends. And we'll have to live with those feelings."

"What are you waiting for?" a voice says.

Holy crap, this girl is giving me a heart attack.

"Kotonoha? What are you doing here?"

"Sekai texted me, so I came here to talk with you.

Now, what are you waiting for? Can't you see your friend needs a hug?"

"Which friend do you mean?"

Somehow, all three of us embrace each other together.


	15. Chapter 15

"Makoto, I need your help."

The one who ruins my calm Tuesday with those words is Kiyoura Setsuna, our petite class-representative. She always speaks without any hint of emotion, although I know she has feelings. How I know this is a story for another time.

She always ties her hair with a ribbon, today it is red, but sometimes it's blue.

"What's wrong, Kiyoura?"

"Tanaka is sick. I need you to fill in for him."

"Why me? Can't you ask Sekai? I thought the two of you were friends."

"Implementation committee is a boy and a girl from each class. The only volunteer is Sawanaga, so, please… save me."

I smile. "What's wrong with Taisuke?"

"..."

"Fine, I'll help."

Kiyoura makes a victory sign and leaves.

Only, I forgot one important detail.

/

/

"Alright Itou-kun. We need more chairs at the gym. Go with Katsura-san, she knows the way."

"Okay."

I leave with Kotonoha.

When we're outside, she take my hand and guides me through the halls.

I'm a little surprised. Maybe she's finally opening up. Or maybe…

We reach our destination: an abandoned classroom turned into a storage room.

In one of the corners, I see a stack of blue folding chairs.

I can't spot a trolley or something else, so the only way to transport is carrying them.

I sigh. "This is gonna take a while."

"We have all the time we want," Kotonoha says.

She take my hand and pulls me closer for a kiss.

I close my eyes and let her lead.

Her arm wrap around me and pulls me even closer.

Then she…

"Easy," I interrupt. "We have work to do."

"Yeah, sure."

She quickly grabs a chair and starts walking to the door.

Then, she realises there's no way to open it since she has a chair in each hand.

She tries putting one down, but because they are so impractical to carry, it falls over and knocks a box with screws off a shelf. They spill out and roll over the floor.

I crouch down to help her clean up.

Our hands reach for the same screw.

…

"I'm sorry," I say. "I'm confused, and it's going so fast suddenly. Can we just be friends for now?"

Her hand stops on his way to a screw.

"Sure," she says, her voice hollow. "That's fine."

I can tell it's not.

"Hey, come on." I take her hand and help her stand up. "My friend needs a hug."

I wrap my hands around her and hug her tightly.

"Your friend needs more than that."

The words are spoken so softly I'm not even sure I heard them right.

We release each other and continue cleaning up the mess.

Although I have a feeling there another kind of mess I need to clean up.


	16. Chapter 16

Being very original, our class is doing a maid café, just like last year, and the year before that. Obviously, I'm helping out in the kitchen.

One of the advantages of a maid café is that the girls are doing most of the work.

"Hey, stop slacking off."

The one who's lecturing me is Kuroda Hikari, Taisuke's…

"Hey, Taisuke," I ask the person next to me. "Are you dating her?"

"Well," Taisuke replies. "It's complicated."

He falls silent as he continues preparing orders.

I focus on the next one too.

 _Two slices of apple cake-_

"Hey, Makoto. You're an expert on girls, right?"

"I am?"

"Yes you are. So uhm… how do you tell a girl you want to, well...introduce her to your parents?"

Oh. Wasn't expecting that. "Is is that serious?"

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"She's your… whatever she is. Maybe you should introduce her to your sister first."

"Yeah. That's a great idea, thanks man."

Of only my problems could be solved that easily.

Said problem walks in at that moment.

"Makoto? Our shift is over, let's go find Katsura-san."

"All right."

"Hey," Taisuke interrupts us. "You're just gonna leave me here all alone?" He stares at the huge number of orders.

At that moment, Kuroda enters again.

"Taisuke, you're too slow. We have orders piling up."

He stares at me hopefully.

"Sorry man, _hoes before bros_."

"That's not how any of this works."

Sekai grabs my hand and drags me out. If she's offended by my remark, she doesn't show.

"Let's go find her," Sekai says, determined.

However, this was a lot easier said than done.

/

/

"How do you mean you don't know where she is? If she's not here, then where is she?" I'm starting to get really angry.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not her babysitter," Katou Otome , my childhood friend, replies.

"Otome. There's a schedule for the shifts, right? Since she's your class representative, she must have made it herself."

"I… we don't have schedule."

"Every class has a schedule. It's not optional. Show me."

She looks like she's about to burst into tears.

Then, with a look of frustration, she takes out a piece of paper and hands it to me.

I scan the contents looking for Katsura's name, but there's no need to.

"This is a joke, right?"

"I'm afraid not," Katou says, staring at me with an unyielding look on her face.

"Makoto, what's wrong?" Sekai asks.

I wordlessly hand her the schedule, not taking my eyes of Katou.

She looks through it. "I don't understand. Why is Katsura-san's name on every shift?"

"You don't get it?" I say, sarcastically. "I think the solution is quite obvious."

I'm still holding a staring contest with Katou.

Katou vs Itou.

Realisation dawns on Sekai's face.

"I should have known earlier," I say. "Implementation committee is a boy and a girl from each class. That's what Kiyoura told me. But I haven't seen anyone from your class. What's wrong Katou? No boys in your class?"

"Oh, there are plenty," Katou finally replies. "But no one wanted to help her."

"And yet here you are. Something must have happened."

"It wasn't me. It was Nanami. Well, her and Natsumi, Kumi and Minami."

"Four against one, very brave."

"Look, I don't know what happened. Nanami called me and said she needed someone to sit here because Katsura-san was gone. I just did what she asked me."

"Why didn't she do it herself?"

"She's with her boyfriend at the _Break Room_."

Break Room. I've heard about that before.

"Let's go find her, Sekai."

I leave Katou alone at the haunted house.

Sekai follows me, looking confused.

/

"How do you plan to find her?" she asks. We're at an empty classroom now.

"First tell me about this Break Room."

She turns bright red. "I don't think this is relevant to-"

"Tell me," I urge her. "Everything is relevant right now."

"Fine. Normally this is a secret shared only between girls. It's a tradition at this school."

"I've heard about it, but I have no idea what it is."

"Boys aren't supposed to know. You see, there are a couple rooms hidden here. There's a bed in there."

I can see where this is going.

"When a girl goes to see the festival with a boy, she reaches out to him with her hand closed and says 'please accompany me'. If the boy is willing, he takes her hand."

"Hand closed. Wait, she has something in her hand, doesn't she?"

She turns an even darker shade of red. "Yeah. You can fill in the rest."

"But why hasn't any of this leaked out? Surely a secret like this can never be kept?"

"Well. There's a bed in the Break Room and, a hidden camera."

"What?"

"They film everything. They never tell you that detail before the festival. If anyone threatens to tell the teachers, they will put everything online.  
 _Everything_."

That explains. If anyone even considered telling a teacher, the girls on that tape would probably skin her alive.

Wait.

Kotonoha.

"What if she found out?" Surely a girl like Katsura would tell the teachers. But if she didn't know about that hidden camera.

"We need to find her. Right now."

"She could be anywhere."

"I think I know where she is."

"Where?"

"Tell me, Sekai? What's the one place no one would ever come during the festival."

"I don't know. The roof?"

"No. But that's a good second."

"Where is she then?"

"You'll see."

"Always teasing me, huh. Come on, idiot, we have no time to lose."

We dash off at an incredible speed.

Let's hope I'm not too late.

No, I'm already too late. I should have realised this way earlier.

Hold on, Kotonoha, we're coming.


	17. Chapter 17

For reasons beyond my understanding the school library has an ecchi section.

For _research purposes_ I guess.

It is located at the back and has only one bookcase. Next to it is a reading spot consisting of a low, rectangular table with four red couches around it.

The couches on the sides can only hold a single person, while the other two can seat three people comfortably.

Sitting in one of the larger couches is Katsura-san.

She's so immersed in her light novel that she hasn't spotted us.

I know it's a light novel because 1) this is the ecchi section and 2) I can see an illustration. It's a quite modest drawing in a style I don't recognize. Not that I read much anyway.

I'm now directly behind her and she still doesn't notice me.

"Kotonoha," I speak very soft.

She's startled by our sudden appearance.

"Makoto? What are you doing here?"

"You mean what are _we_ doing here?"

"Oh. Hey, Saionji-san."

I seat myself opposite of Kotonoha. Sekai sits next to me.

"Is everything alright?" I ask.

"I'm fine," she says, raising her book again.

"No you're not. Your entire class is bullying you."

"What do you care?"

"Kotonoha," Sekai interrupts us sharply.

Slowly, Kotonoha lowers her book. She looks a bit shocked.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I know the both of you care about me. But I'm fine."

"What happened?" I ask. "There must have been a reason why you left without telling us."

"I… I forgot to text you. I'm sorry."

She's obviously lying.

…

We're not getting anywhere like this.

Let's try something else.

"Sekai? Could you leave the two of us alone for a moment?"

She blinks twice. "Sure."

She stands up. "See you at the folk dance then," she adds before leaving.

Folk dance?

What is that supposed to mean?

"So," Kotonoha says. "You're gonna dance with her at the folk dance?"

"Yeah, su-" Hold on a second. "Maybe."

"I see."

There are three legends at our school.

The first is the Charm's Effect. This one is known by basically everyone.

The third one is the Break Room. Only a limited number of people know about this, and most have only vaguely heard about it.

The second legend, known by every girl and every not so ignorant boy is the Folk Dance.

If a couple dances at the Folk Dance, they won't break up for a year.

I wouldn't believe any of that crap, even after my experiences with the Charm.

But.

If I dance with Sekai, everyone will see me, and they will think we are a couple.

"You can dance with her if you want to," Kotonoha says. "I don't mind."

Sounds like she's… giving up.

If I dance with Sekai now, I doubt we'll ever be able to be more than just friends.

Sekai probably thinks the same thing.

We're all tired, I can tell.

"Look," Kotonoha says, standing up. "I'm fine, really. I'm going to the folk dance. Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute."

She nods. Like she understands me.

I sigh deeply when she's gone.

What am I supposed to do now?

I can't choose between them. I really can't.

I pick up the light novel Kotonoha left behind.

If only real life looked a bit more like ecchi.

Than I could just have both of them. I wouldn't have to choose.

But this is the real world. And real world girls are jealous.

Not like guys are any different.

As if I would share a girl with Taisuke. I'll rather stay single for the rest of my life.

I need to make a decision.

What would my dad do?

Oh, wait. I almost forgot.

Dad's decision making skills aren't that great.

What would mom do?

She'd probably just flip a coin.

I chuckle softly.

How silly. I can't just…

Wait a minute.

I once read flipping a coin actually helps. Once you throw it in the air, you don't have any time left for thinking. So you secretly hope for either heads or tails. And when it lands, you can check whether you're disappointed.

I take out a coin.

Let's do this.

Kotonoha is heads, and Sekai is tails.

The coin starts spinning in the air.

It lands on the table, right next to the light novel.

 _Heads_.

Am I disappointed? Did I hope for this?

Damn. This crap doesn't work.

So what now? Do I decide my girlfriend based on a coin toss?

I can't do that.

Best of three.

The coin spins again.

 _Tails_.

I pick up the coin again for the deciding…

I sigh again.

I can't do this.

I throw away the coin and pick up the book Kotonoha left behind.

When I put the book back, I can see the coin shimmering at the end of the bookcase, but I don't come closer.

From here, I can't see whether it's heads or tails. And maybe that's for the best.

Let's go home.


	18. Chapter 18

"Dude, did you see me? I was totally on fire."

"He was," Sekai confirms.

"Sure you were. You're probably the first person ever to use the words 'on fire' to describe your skills at a folk dance," I say to Taisuke.

"Someone has to be the first," he proclaims.

"Speaking of the folk dance," Sekai says.

Here we go.

"Where were you?"

"I felt sick. Sorry." What else am I supposed to say?

"Oh."

I can tell she doesn't believe me.

But at least I escaped. For now.

/

/

"How are you doing, Kotonoha?" I ask, taking a bite from my sandwich.

"Better. Thanks to you." She's smiling. It's been a while since I saw that cute smile of hers.

"You know. If you had told me earlier, I would have helped."

I know Otome from middle school. We were close friends. She's not a bad girl, just a bit… passive. Just going along with the group.

I spoke to her about Kotonoha, and she said she'd help out. They mostly leave her alone now. Seems like Otome is more popular than I expected.

And now here we are again. Eating on the roof with just the three of us.

I take a deep breath.

Something is off.

"It's getting chilly," Sekai says.

I can't tell whether she's speaking about the weather or the tense atmosphere between us. I presume the first.

Soon, we won't be able to eat here anymore.

Something tells me that these days will soon be over.

By the time it's getting warm again, everything will be different.

"I heard it's gonna rain tomorrow," Kotonoha said.

"We should stay inside," Sekai agrees.

/

/

/

Usually I like rain.

And with the strange statement 'I like rain', I mean 'I enjoy watching it rain outside when I'm wrapped in a blanket with a hot chocolate in my hand', not the current 'I hate my life, why did I forget my umbrella this morning-'

"Makoto?"

"Hey, Kotonoha. How are you?"

"I'm fine. But why aren't you holding an umbrella? I did tell you it would rain, right?"

"Uhm. Because I'm an idiot?"

She laughs. "Come on, walk with me. Wouldn't want you to get wet. The girl is the one who's supposed to get wet."

…

I must have heard that wrong. But the little smile she adds makes it quite obvious I heard it absolutely right.

Her smile vanishes when she sees my startled reaction.

"I'm sorry," she says. "Was that inappropriate?"

"No. I was just taken back. I'm not used to you making jokes like that. But it's okay."

"Alright. Let's go then."

She hands me the umbrella. Since I'm slightly taller, it makes sense for me to carry it. Also, the boy is supposed to do it.

Wait.

Are we a couple?

We're not right?

We go outside.

"Uhm. Makoto?"

"Hm?"

"I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Look. I don't like gossip or anything like that. But now that they more or less stopped bullying me, I start hearing stuff. And they said something about...Saionji-san."

She used Sekai's last name. Probably to be polite.

"Go ahead." I don't like gossip either, but, you know.

"I don't know how much is true, but according to what I heard, it looks like Sekai switched places with Kiyoura-san at the start of the year."

…

"Are you sure?"

"No. It's gossip. If you want to know, just ask her. The two of you are friends after all."

"But if it is true, then…"

"Yeah."

Sekai tried to set me up with Kotonoha. While she did that, she realized she had feelings for me too. That's what got us in this weird situation. I never questioned the truth of that.

But if Sekai switched seats to get closer to me, then she already liked me from the very beginning.

Did she try to sabotage our relationship? Maybe she gave us bad advice and-

"Makoto. Please don't overthink this stuff. You should ask her first. She's your friend, so you should trust her. It's just some gossip. Talk with her before you draw your conclusions."

"Yeah, of course. She's my friend, and I should give her the benefit of the doubt."

We continue walking towards the station.

"Hey, Kotonoha?"

"Yeah?"

"You mind coming with me? I would like to introduce you to my mom."

"Oh. I don't know."

"It's fine if you say no. It's just… I've been talking about you all year and she never met you. I feel like she should meet you. And she already met Sekai, so..."

"Okay. I'll come with you then. If you're fine with that."

"For the record, she met Sekai at our one date. Sekai lives pretty close to me, so we met at my house and then took the train to Sakakino Hills."

"It's okay. You don't need to explain yourself."

I feel like I do actually.

/

/

"And this is my room," I conclude. Since I live in an apartment, the tour didn't take much time. "Sorry mom wasn't home. I really thought she would be, but seems like something happened at the hospital."

"Your mom's a doctor?"

"Nurse."

Kotonoha sits on my bed. "Very soft," she comments.

"Yeah."

"Why don't you sit next to me?"

There's nowhere else to sit anyway. I do have my doubts, but I go sit next to her anyway.

"Look, Makoto. I want to talk about something."

"Go ahead."

"I know things didn't go very smoothly between us, but…"

"Go ahead."

"I don't know how to say it. Can I show you?"

"Uhm. Yeah, sure."

Without skipping a beat, she takes my hand and places it on her right breast.

…

Uhm.

Kotonoha?

Just what is going on here? Did an overdosis ecchi make her go insane?

No, wait.

She's breathing steady. Trying to calm herself.

"You don't have to-" I start.

"Yes I do. I love you, and if this is what you want, I'll give it to you. I'll give you everything you want, Makoto. Just, promise me one thing."

"What is it?" I'm still not sure where this is going.

"Promise me that I will be the one you love the most."

Oh.

Is she really willing to go that far? Does she have some kind of ulterior motive?

Somehow, my hand is still on her breast.

"..."

"..."

"That's the wrong order, Kotonoha."

"Huh?"

I let my hand slide around her and pulls her closer.

"Let's go with this first," I say, our lips infinitely close together.

And then they touch.

Our third kiss.


	19. Chapter 19

"So you're dating Kotonoha again?" Sekai asks. Her tone is weird.

"Uhm. Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"You can date whomever you want, Makoto. I don't care."

The first part is obviously right. But I'm not that sure about the second part.

/

/

Describe Kotonoha with one word.

Passionate.

"You know, you didn't have to make lunch for me," I say.

"It's fine, really," she assures me.

She did say she would make lunch for me, but I assumed it would be like, a sandwich or something, not a traditional bento.

Since we're in the cafeteria (it's raining outside), lots of people have noticed the two of us.

But I'm more concerned with…

"Where is Sekai?" Kotonoha asks.

"I don't know. She just dissapeared."

"People don't go up in smoke."

"Yeah, you're right."

Where did I see her last?

I packed my stuff when the lesson was over, and when I was done, she wasn't there.

Strange.

Is she trying to avoid me?

"Did you tell her we're going out again?" Kotonoha asks.

"Uhm. Yeah."

"She might have taken it a little hard."

"Yeah."

So, what now?

I still don't know what Sekai's intentions were, but I made a promise.

 _The three of us will stay friends, no matter what happens._

"Look, Kotonoha-"

"You should go."

"Huh?"

"You made a promise. So go."

/

/

I press the doorbell.

Her mom opens the door. At least, I'm assuming it's her mom.

"Hey," I say. "I'm a friend from school. Can I see Sekai?"

"She doesn't feel well."

"It's really important. I need to see her."

"Look. My daughter is sick. Come back another time."

"Fine. Tell her I've been here."

"I don't know your name," she says, sceptical.

"It's Itou. Itou Makoto."

"Makoto?"

"Uhm." Her expression changed completely.

"Come on in."

"Uhm. Okay."

Strange.

"You have no idea how much she talks about you. I'm glad I can finally meet you."

"Oh. Yeah. Nice to meet you too, madam."

"Oh, please. Call me Youko."

"Okay...Youko-san. So, uhm. Can I see Sekai now?"

"Of course. She's in her room. You can't miss it."

She points to a door.

I walk to the white door and knock once.

There is no reply.

Hesitantly, I open the door.

She's lying on her bed, wearing light blue pyjamas.

She makes no sound.

I close the door and approach the bed.

"What are you doing here?" She asks, not looking up.

"Keeping a promise," I say. I sit down at a chair close to the bed.

"You can't."

"Of course I can."

"No. How can I be friends with Kotonoha if she's your girlfriend? I just can't."

Seems like she's jealous. But I have a promise to keep. "There must be some way."

"There is a way." Now she looks up. "I'll give up on you. It's time to move on. You've made your decision. I won't stand in your way again." She looks away.

"No. If dating Kotonoha means losing you, then I'll break up with her."

What the hell am I saying?

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, I'm serious. Look."

I take out my phone.

You're an idiot, Makoto.

My fingers scroll through my contacts and find Kotonoha, even though I didn't tell them too.

"You're gonna break up with her over the phone?"

I have no idea what I'm going to do.

"Kotonoha?"

[What's wrong, Makoto? Are you with Sekai?]

"Yeah. Look, I'm really sorry, but I think we should break up."

She sighs. [Could you give me Sekai?]

"Uhm. Sure."

I hand the phone to Sekai.

Surprised, she takes it.

"Hello?"

Sekai doesn't speak for some time. Then she hangs up and hands me back my phone.

"You don't have to break up with her."

"How do you mean?"

"She said I could do whatever I wanted with you, cause she's convinced you'll love her most of all, no matter what."

"She said _what_?"

"I don't understand it either. She must be lying. There's no way she's not jealous at all. No girl would say something like that. She's-"

" _Sekai_. That's enough. You're not in any position to speak." I'm starting to get angry.

"What are you talking about?"

"You switched seats at the start of the year."

"I… I just wanted to be closer to you."

"You should have been honest with me from the very beginning. You set me up with Kotonoha and then you kissed me. You didn't have any right to do that."

"You see it all wrong. Look-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses." I'm basically spitting venom now. "You've been trying to ruin my relationship with Kotonoha before it even began. This is emotional blackmail, you know. Well, I've made my decision. I won't break up with her. You can sit here crying all week, I don't care anymore. I'm done with you.

I'm sorry, but I cannot keep my promise. I can't be friends with someone like you."

"Makoto. Can't you see-"

"I have to go," I say, standing up. "My girlfriend is waiting for me."

And with those words I leave the room.

Her mom seems startled, but I don't give her time to ask me anything.

When I'm outside, I start running.

I run all the way to the train station before catching my breath.

I've finally done it.

I've made my decision.

/

Saionji Sekai is not crying. She just stares at the wall feeling her heart break in two.

She switched seats because she hoped to get closer to him. Yes, she did have a crush on him, but how could she tell him that? He already admired Kotonoha from a distance, and she understood exactly how he felt, cause she felt the same way. Admiring a distant star.

So she had pushed him a little. And when she was done, she suddenly realised she had pushed her own star away, out of her reach. So she had said goodbye with a kiss. Goodbye to a life that could never exist. He was out of her reach.

But then, somehow, the star had started drifting back again, and the hope she had buried deep inside herself reawakened from its slumber. The embers rekindled into a blazing fire stronger than before. Oh how she craved for him.

But now, it was all over.

Makoto wasn't just out of her reach, he was gone. Her sky was black without stars.

Slowly, Sekai rose, and made her decision.


	20. Chapter 20

"Kotonoha?"

"Hmmm?"

She's purring, like a cat.

Or maybe it's just the way we're lying here that makes me think of cats.

I'm on her bed, on my back, whilst her head is on my chest.

My hand is wrapped around her and is absent-mindedly stroking her hair.

"What you said against Sekai. Were you serious?"

She hugs me tighter. "I don't want to lose you."

"I see." What is that supposed to mean? I don't want to lose her either but-

The soft vibrating noise of my phone pulls me out of my dreamlike state.

Who the hell is calling me…

"Kiyoura?

[Makoto?] There is something wrong. I can tell by the sound of her voice.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to Sekai?"

[You heard about the transfer?]

"What transfer?" I don't like the sound of that.

[Sekai is moving to Paris.]

"... I'm sorry. What did you say?" I heard that wrong, right? For a moment I thought she said…

[Paris. She's transferring. A few more days and she's gone, Makoto.]

/

/

"I don't get it," Kotonoha says. The three of us have met at Pure Burger. It's a restaurant some girls at school like. Apparently, their milkshakes are legendary.

"It's simple," Kiyoura says. "Sekai's mom works as the manager of a restaurant, Radish."

Oh right. I remember going there with my sister last summer. It's at the beach. Who would have thought Sekai's mom was the manager.

"My mom works for a different restaurant, but it's the same company," Kiyoura continues. "That's how they know each other and that's how Sekai and I became friends."

"But what does all that have to do with Paris?" I ask, taking another sip of my milkshake.

"Well. They have a really big restaurant in Paris. Since they like her work, they asked her if she wanted to transfer there."

"And what did she say?" I can already guess the answer.

"She wasn't sure. Sekai didn't want to come with her so…"

"And now Sekai changed her mind," Kotonoha finishes.

"Yeah." Kiyoura turns to me. "You need to stop her, Makoto."

And how am I supposed to do that?

I sigh. "I'll try talking to her. But if I can't convince her, we should just let her go. We can still email and write and-"

The look they give me makes me shut up.

I know. I didn't believe that either.

Sure, in the beginning, we would write, but then, slowly, the frequency would go down, until eventually, I would stop replying all together. If I can't stop her now, eventually, she will start a new life there, and leave the old one behind.

But how? How do I convince her?

The obvious answer would be to tell her that I love her. That's not exactly a lie. I do like her, and I don't want her to leave.

But then what?

I'm with Kotonoha now. Dumping her would never work out. Kotonoha wouldn't be able to handle it, I would feel terrible, and Sekai would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

But what else can I do? I don't think there's another way to make her stay.

Kotonoha takes my hand.

"Promise me you'll do whatever it takes to bring her back," she says. I can see the clear determination in her eyes.

"I… I don't know. Maybe it's better to let her go."

"Despite everything that happened, I love Sekai."

"..."

"I mean… she's an important friend to me. You haven't noticed this, but Sekai really means a lot to me. She helped me meet you. She's the one that always gave me advice. She listened to me complain about our date, even though she liked you herself. I don't want her to go. Aside from you, she's the only friend I have."

"I...I never realised the two of you were so close," I say, truthfully.

"Promise me you'll bring her back, Makoto. Whatever it takes."

I look at Kotonoha. Then I look at Setsuna, who stayed silent during Kotonoha's confession.

"Fine. I promise."

What else am I supposed to say?


	21. Chapter 21

"Can we talk?"

She shrugs.

She's in her pyjamas, sitting on her bed, with a blanket wrapped around her.

This time, I go sit next to her.

"I heard you're leaving," I start.

"Setsuna, huh. Little bitch."

"No goodbye?"

"Don't act like you care."

"I do care." I should move carefully.

"No you don't." She stands up. The blanket floats down revealing her baby blue pyjamas.

Somehow, it's very sad.

Kotonoha wears nightgowns in subtle shades of red and white. I think Sekai would look good in those. But she's not so confident about her body, and she doesn't have anyone to show them.

"I'm not joking around. I don't want you to leave."

"I've made my decision. You can't make me change my mind."

"I'm not here to make you change your mind. I'm here to say goodbye."

"... I see."

 _I am happy with Kotonoha now. We can still stay friends, but-_

No. If I tell her the truth, I'm gonna lose her. I can't do that.

"I've always loved you, you know? From the very beginning." No way she'll believe that.

"You like Kotonoha. And I get that. She's smarter, caring, beautiful, cute-"

"Shy. Don't forget shy."

"In a cute way," Sekai insists.

"Look. Maybe you're not as smart as Kotonoha. And maybe your body isn't that perfect. But I still like you. I like the way you smile like your heart isn't breaking inside. The way you can put the happiness of others before your own. I like your carefree attitude. I like how you're always able to fill an awkward silence. I like all of you. When life gets too hard, you curl up in a ball and cry until there's nothing left. And then you stand up and pretend you're fine. I like that too. You're a real person. Kotonoha was just a distant dream. I projected my image of the ideal girlfriend on her and when I realized she wasn't that perfect, I went to you. Because where else was I supposed to go? You were the only one that was there for me. And I complained, completely ignoring you obviously had feelings for me. But you helped me anyway. So yes, I love you, and I don't want you to leave."

I pause for a moment.

Just how much of all that was true?

I can tell she's hesitating. Just one more push.

I stand up and take her hand.

In one swift motion, I spin her around and kiss her softly on the lips.

Is this kiss the end, or the beginning?

Whatever it is, it feels good.


	22. Epilogue: the future that could never be

_A month later, Christmas Eve_

Have you ever heard about this rumor?

When you snap a picture of someone you like, and you set it as a wallpaper on your phone, and make sure no one sees it for three weeks, you'll end up together.

But be careful. Cause the Charm's Effect... will find a way.

"How do I look?" Sekai asks. "I borrowed it from Kotonoha."

 _It_ refers to a blue dress which looks…

"Beautiful."

She blushes slightly.

"Blue isn't really my color," Kotonoha says. Her dress is red.

"You look nice too," I say.

"Thanks."

"So," Sekai says. "Shall we?"

She takes my left hand. Kotonoha takes the other one.

I wonder what people will think. But then I realise I stopped caring what people think a long time ago.

The restaurant we're going to is really fancy. Kotonoha's father has some connections around here.

He still doesn't know our _situation_. But we're gonna tell him eventually.

Since it's Christmas Eve, there are lots of couples in here.

The waitress looks at me in a strange way.

"We have reservations," I say.

"Yes. Itou-san? _Three_ persons?"

She looks from Sekai to Kotonoha."

"Yeah," I say. Just what is she thinking?

She leads us to our table.

"You know, we're gonna have to make up a story," I say once we sit down. "We can't explain this to everyone."

"Maybe I'm Kotonoha's younger sister," Sekai suggests. "And I'm here to make sure she doesn't do anything dirty. Dad is really strict, and he promised he'll buy me a car. I really like that red Porsche." She makes a cute look.

I chuckle. "I don't think anyone will believe that."

"Kotonoha and I could totally be sisters," Sekai insists.

"Yeah. We share _everything_ , just like sisters do," Kotonoha adds.

A smile breaks on her face when she says the word _everything_.

"How about we'll just tell people the truth?" Sekai suddenly says.

At that moment the waitress arrives.

"Are you ready to order?" She asks.

"I would just like to clarify that these two beauties are both my girlfriends," I say. "Do you have a problem with that?"

She blinks twice.

"As you probably know, this restaurant is part of a hotel. Let me tell you a secret. I've seen much worse than one guy with two girls of the same age."

She throws a subtle glance to the right.

In the distance, there's a man.

He's about fifty I guess, with half of his hair either gone or turned grey. His shirt is dirty with food stains and the bottom two buttons are left undone to leave room for his massive belly.

Two young girls are sitting on either side, wearing stiletto heels and skirts so short their panties are showing whenever they make a move.

Their tops are short, creeping up to reveal their belly buttons if they don't pull them down and cut deeply to show a large amount of (probably fake) breasts.

"I see."

"Now, what would you like to order?"

I quickly look at the menu.

Why is everything in French?

"Uhm. We'll need a couple more minutes," I say.

The waitress nods shortly and leaves us.

"Hey, Sekai," I whisper. "You understand any of this?"

"No. Why would I?"

"You were planning to go to Paris and you can't speak a word French?"

She blushes red.

"I can speak French," Kotonoha says.

"Well, I can kiss French," Sekai bounces back.

Now it's Kotonoha's turn to blush.

"Hey," I say, putting my hand on her leg. "You can go at your own speed. Just ignore Sekai."

The waitress is back.

"Ready?" She asks.

"We'll take whatever you recommend," I quickly say.

She flashes a smile. "As you wish."

Maybe this Christmas Eve isn't quite as I imagined, but...

I look to the two girls.

I wouldn't want it any other way.


End file.
